Knit mitten



2 Sheets Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

LW. LAMB. KNIT MITTEN.

2 Sheets Sheet 2,

(No Modem,

I.A LAMB.

KNIT MITTBN.

Patented Apr. 5,1898.

W/TNESSES me Nouns persas co. woaLlrnqrwAsnms'ron. D. e

UNITED STATES PATENT Crriciz.

ISAAC W. LAMB, OF PERRY, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TOTHE LAMB GLOV AND MITTENCOMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

KNIT MITTEN.

SPECIFICATION forming part'of Letters Patent No. 601,894, dated April 5,1898.

Application flied .Tune i5, 1896.'

Serial No. 595,624. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ISAAC W. LAMB, of Perry, in the county of Shiawasseeand State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin KnitMittens, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact de-Vscription. v

The invention relates to mittens in which the hand-blank is knit iiatand then folded over and the adjoining edges sewed together except atthe thumb-opening, and the thumbblank is likewise knit flat and foldedover and sewed together at the edges, and then sewed The inventionconsists principally in a mit- -v ten-blank formed of a ribbed fabrichaving a main portion and a tip of a dierent rib style than the mainportion, tle tip being formed by the stitches narrowed in all thecourses at the inside, and with some of the stitches narrowed in thelast courses kand at the outside of the tip.

Reference is to be had to the' accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis speciication,

in which similar characters of reference indi cate corresponding partsin all the figures.

Figure l is a side elevationof the outer face of the hand-blank for amitten. Fig. 2 is a like view of the inner face of the blank. Fig.

3 is a side elevation of the thumb-blank.V Fig.

4 is a side elevation of the finished mitten. Fig. 'is an end View ofthe tip of the mitten. Fig. 6 is an enlarged face view of the inside ofthe tip of the hand-blank, and Fig. 7 is a like view of the outside ofthe tip of the handblank.

The hand-blank'shown in the drawings is l knitted throughout the wristportion, the

palm, and the iinger portions in any one of the Well-known styles. Forinstance, the outside of the blank (see Fig. 7) is knitted with everyfourth rib A plain and the intermediate three ribs B racked or shogged,while on the inside of the blank (see Fig. 6) a space or mock rib C isleft between every three succeeding ribs D, the latter forming groups,each containing three ribs. v

The machine employed for knitting the mitten-blank maybe any of thewell-known 'straight-knitting machines, but preferably, however, ofthetype shown in the application for LettersPatent, Serial No. 640,347,filed by me June` 1, 1897, and in which machine the front needle-plateis shogged or racked and is provided with cardigan-cams for knitting thehand-blank, as described. The machine is also provided with the usualcam devices for regulating the throw of the needles for knitting afabric with a closer or more open mesh. The needles on one of theneedle-plates are all in and are actuated, while on the otherneedle-plate everyfourth needle is removed and the loop of this needleis placed on the adjacent needle.

Now when the hand-blank has been knitted as far as described-say up tolines 8 8 of Figs. 6 and 7-and the tip portion of the mitten' isreached-then the stitch for the middle rib D in each of the groups onthe inside of the fabric is narrowed out, the loops being placed on theadjacent needles and the empty needles put .out of work. A series ofsuch courses are now knit-say up to lines 9 9 of Figs. 6 and 7-thenumber being determined by the size and iineness of the yarn and thesize of the mitten. During this part of the operation additional mockribs E are alternately formed with the remaining ribs D, as is plainlyshown in Fig. 6, and both sets of ribs are continued until the extremeend of the tip is reached. Duringthe knitting of the courses betweenthelines 8 8 and 9 9 the ribs on the outside of the blank are alternatelyshogged, as indicated in Fig. 7.. When, however, a desired series ofcourses has been completed up to lines 9 9, as above described, thenalternate stitches on the outside of the tip are narrowed out by placingthe loops yon the adjacent needles and putting the empty needles out ofwork. In doing so mock-ribs F are formed on the outside of the fabric tothe end of the tip. At the same time the IOO throw of the needles ischanged, by adjusting the cam devices accordingly, to knit a closemeshfabric to the end of the tip. The racking or shogging device is movedout of action during the knitting of the last set of courses of the tipby holding the reciprocating needleplate stationary, as described in thepatent application referred to, and it is expressly understood that theshogging ceases during the time the outside of the blank is narroweddown. It is desirable to continue the shogging after narrowing out thestitches on the inside of the mitten up to the point Where the stitchesare narrowed out on the outside of the mitten, and then the shoggingshould cease. The thumb is knitted in the same manner-that is, the tipend may be narrowed first on the inside then on the outside, and at thesame time the last courses are knitted closer to the end of the tip. Thethumb may be narrowed in the ordinary manner at the edges, if preferred,since but little narrowing is required on the thumb.

Now it will be seen that the main portion of the hand or thumb blank, asshown, is knitted in a three-to-one rib. The first set of courses of thetip has a two-to-one rib, and the extreme end or last set of courses ofthe tip has a one-to-one rib with a closer mesh.

In finishing the hand-blank formed as above described is folded overupon itself and the edges of the tip sewed together. The side edges arealso sewed together, except at the point where the thumb is to beintro.- duced. The `thumb-blank is secured to the hand-blank with theseam uniting the edges of the blank running together down the inside andmeeting the seam of the blank. By this construction, no matter on whichhand the mitten is placed, the said seams will occupy the same relativepositions and by their location will be concealed in a great measurefrom view.

It will be seen that by forming the mitten as described the tip is notknitted as firm as the rest of the mitten; but as the loops or stitchesare drawn closely together at the tip it is evident that a perfectmitten is produced, giving the desired warmth to the ends of thewearer7s fingers.

I do not coniine myself to the particular style of rib more particularlyherein described, but intend to use any style of rib which may be founddesirable. On small mittens especially I often use a two-to-one rib andthen only narrow on the outside of the tip. For boys mittens I alsooften use a one-to-one rib. In the latter case I narrow out everyalternate stitch, first on the inside of the fabric, and then afterknitting a few rounds I narrow on the outside of the fabric, tighteningthe stitch after the narrowing on the outside, and also stopping theshogging l immediately after the narrowing on the outside.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patentn l. A mitten-blank formed of a ribbed fabrichaving a main portion and a tip of a different rib style than the saidmain portion, the tip being formed by the stitches narrowed in all thecourses at the inside, and

with some of the stitches narrowed in the last courses and at theoutside of the tip, substantially as shown and described.

2. A mitten-blank formed of a ribbed fabric having a main portion and atip of a different rib style than the said main portion, the tip havingstitches narrowed in all the courses at the inside of the tip and withsome of the stitches narrowed in the last courses

